Poland
Senate
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Political system
Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
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Presidential-Parliamentary
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Structure of parliament
Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
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Bicameral
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IPU membership
Current membership status
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Yes
Election results
Data on parliamentary elections, including the background, candidates, voter turnout, results and the formation of the new legislature. By default the latest election results are displayed. Select a date to view results from previous elections.
Background
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Election date(s)
The date when elections started and ended for directly or indirectly elected parliaments/chambers. The date of appointments for appointed parliaments/chambers.
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25 Oct 2015
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Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature
Date at which the previous legislature (elected at the previous elections) was dissolved.
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11 Nov 2015
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Timing of election
Timing of election: Upon normal expiry; Early elections; Delayed elections
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Upon normal expiry
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Number of seats at stake
Number of seats contested at the elections. Where the parliament/chamber is fully renewed, this number is usually identical to the statutory number of members. Where the parliament/chamber is partially renewed or appointed, the number of seats at stake is usually less than the total number of members.
View field in the data dictionary -
100
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Scope of elections
Scope of elections: Full renewal; Partial renewal.
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Full renewal
Candidates
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Number of parties contesting the election
This field may include either the number of parties contesting the election, or the number of coalitions/electoral alliance.
View field in the data dictionary -
24
Notes: Number of parties contesting the election: 24. In addition, 88 groups of voters submitted electoral lists.
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Total number of candidates
Total number of people who registered as candidates for election. Does not include people who stood as candidates to become "substitute members".
View field in the data dictionary -
423
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Number of male candidates
Number of male candidates
View field in the data dictionary -
365
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Number of female candidates
Number of female candidates
View field in the data dictionary -
58
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Percentage of women candidates
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women candidates by the total number of candidates.
View field in the data dictionary -
13.7%
Voter turnout
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Registered voters
Number of people registered to vote
View field in the data dictionary -
30,629,150
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Voters
Number of people who actually voted
View field in the data dictionary -
15,593,033
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Voter turnout
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of people who actually voted by the number of people registered to vote
View field in the data dictionary -
50.9%
Results
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About the election
Short description of the context and results of the election.
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After eight years in opposition, the Law and Justice (PiS) led by Mr. Jaroslaw Kaczynski returned to power, winning an outright majority in both the 460-member Sejm and the 100-member Senate. The PiS, which endorsed Ms. Beata Szydlo as its premiership candidate, became the first party in the country's post-communist era to win enough seats to govern on its own. Outgoing Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz of the Civic Platform (PO) conceded defeat. On 13 November President Andrzej Duda, a former PiS member, tasked Ms. Szydlo with forming a new government.
The 2015 elections were the first to be held under President Duda who defeated the incumbent President, Bronislaw Komorowski (independent, endorsed by the PO), in the May 2015 presidential elections. Elections took place amid the ongoing migration crisis in Europe. In September, President Duda argued against a German-backed quota system for taking in migrants, saying decisions should remain voluntary at the country level. The government, led by the pro-EU PO, decided to take in 7,000 migrants between 2016 and 2017. During the election campaign, the major opposition parties, including the PiS, spoke out against the decision. Other electoral issues included child care benefits, tax cuts and the retirement age. The PiS promised to repeal the 2012 law that raised the retirement age to 67 and to return the retirement age to 60 for women and 65 for men. It also ruled out adoption of the euro in the near future.
The 2015 elections followed a referendum on 6 September on three issues, including the introduction of single-member constituencies for the Sejm. Although over 78 per cent of voters were in favour of single-member constituencies, only 7.8 per cent of some 30 million eligible voters took part in the referendum. Referendum results in Poland are legally binding only if over 50% of eligible voters take part.
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Number of parties winning seats
The number of parties which won parliamentary representation in the given election.
View field in the data dictionary -
3
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Percentage of parties winning seats
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of parties which won parliamentary representation by the number of parties contesting the election.
View field in the data dictionary -
12.5%
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Percentage of seats won by largest party or coalition
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of seats won by the largest party by the number of seats at stake in the election.
View field in the data dictionary -
61.0%
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Alternation of power after elections
The results of the elections caused a change in the government. "Not applicable" to countries using the presidential system when parliamentary and presidential elections are held separately, to countries in political transition or where there is no party system.
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Yes
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Number of parties in government
The government may be formed by one or more political parties
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3
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Names of parties in government
The government may be formed by one or more political parties
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Law and Justice (PiS), Poland Together, and United Poland.
Poland Together and United Poland won seats under PiS tickets in the 2015 elections. They are in PiS parliamentary caucus.
Parties or coalitions winning seats
Political group | Total |
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Law and Justice (PiS) | 61 |
Civic Platform (PO) | 34 |
Independents | 4 |
Polish Peasant Party (PSL) | 1 |
Members elected, by sex
- Number of men elected
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87
- Number of women elected
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13
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Percentage of women elected
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women elected by the number of seats filled.
View field in the data dictionary -
13.0%
- Women Directly Elected
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13
- Sources
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Senate (13.11.2015, 01.01.2017)
Państwowa Komisja Wyborcza
Polish Press Agency
BBC
New legislature
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Total number of men after the election
The total number of male parliamentarians in this parliament/chamber following the election or renewal, regardless of their modes of designation.
View field in the data dictionary -
87
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Total number of women after the election
The total number of female parliamentarians in this parliament/chamber following the election or renewal, regardless of their modes of designation.
View field in the data dictionary -
13
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Percentage of women after the election
The percentage is calculated by dividing the total number of women in this parliament/chamber by the current number of members.
View field in the data dictionary -
13.0%
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First-term parliamentarians
The number of members who are assuming their parliamentary mandate for the first time following the election or renewal, regardless of their mode of designation.
View field in the data dictionary -
31
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Percentage of first-term parliamentarians
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of first-term parliamentarians by the number of seats at stake in the election.
View field in the data dictionary -
31.0%
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Date of the first session
The date when the newly elected parliament/chamber was convened for the first time. It may be different from the date when members were sworn in.
View field in the data dictionary -
12 Nov 2015
First Speaker of the new legislature
- Personal details for the first Speaker of the new legislature
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Stanisław Karczewski (Male)
Date of birth: 1955 -
Political party
The political party to which the Speaker belonged to at the moment of the election. In some parliaments, the Speaker suspends or relinquishes their party membership during their term in office and is considered as an independent member.
View field in the data dictionary -
Law and Justice (PiS)
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Date of election
The date of the election of the Speaker may be different from the date of the first session of the new legislature.
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12 Nov 2015